Sumele

Cherry

Variety Description

Varieties used for comparison: 'Van', 'Summit', 'Sumnue' (Cristalina) and 'Sumste' (Samba)

Summary: 'Sumele' is a sweet cherry variety that has larger fruit than 'Van', 'Sumnue' and 'Sumste'. The fruit of 'Sumele' are cordate in shape, similar to 'Summit', whereas the fruit of 'Van' are kidney shaped, those of 'Sumnue' are a flattened cordate shape and Sumste' is round cordate. 'Sumele' fruit are more firm than either 'Summit' or 'Sumnue'. 'Sumele' flowers before 'Summit' and the fruit matures after 'Sumnue' and before 'Van', 'Sumste' and'Summit'.

Description:

'Sumele' is a sweet cherry variety which has upright to spreading trees. The one-year old shoots have little or no anthocyanin colouration and are erect in attitude. The internodes of the one-year shoots are long, pubescence is weak and there is a medium number of lenticels. The vegetative buds are moderately large and conical in shape and are slightly held out from the shoot. The bud support is moderately large. On the current year's shoots the pubescence is weak and anthocyanin is absent or very weak.

The leaves of 'Sumele' are horizontal in relation to the shoot and are broad elongate with a rounded base. The angle of the leaf tip is acute and the shape of the apex is cuspidate to acuminate. The profile of the leaf is concave to flat. 'Sumele' has little or no pubescence on the lower side of the leaf and the upper side is medium to dark green, moderately glossy with very weak anthocyanin. The margins are dentate, with shallow to medium indentations. Before leaf fall the leaves are yellow green. The petioles of 'Sumele' have anthocyanin colouration and usually more than two nectaries which are red to purple and kidney shaped.

'Sumele' has medium flowering density and produces single flowers in clusters. The buds are white. The flower pedicel is moderately thick with no pubescence. 'Sumele' has small to medium sized, round petals which are touching to overlapping. 'Sumele' produces pollen. The pistil is normal and the ovary has no pubescence.

'Sumele' produces very large sized fruit which are cordate in shape. In lateral view 'Sumele' fruit are round with the largest diameter towards the middle. There are few light coloured, small dots on the skin. The fruit skin is a wine red to black in colour and the suture has low prominence. The fruit juice of 'Sumele' is dark red purple in colour and the flesh is red to dark red. The fruit is firm and sweetness is medium. 'Sumele' is moderately juicy. The fruit apex is moderately flat and susceptibility to rain induced cracking is moderately low.

The stone of 'Sumele' is large and semi-adherent to the flesh. In lateral view it is asymmetrical and spherical and in front view it is elliptical to rounded. In basal view the stone is round. The keel is very strongly developed.
'Sumele' has a moderately high precocity of fruit bearing. Leaf bud burst is simultaneous to the beginning of full flowering. The variety is not self-fertile. Time of flowering is early and the fruit matures very early. Fruit setting of 'Sumele' is medium.

Origin & Breeding History: 'Sumele' originated from a cross made at the Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre, Summerland, British Columbia in 1976. It was a cross between 'Lapins' and 2N-39-05, a selection from the Summerland breeding program. The seedling cross was designated 13N-06-49 in 1984. Five propagations were made on Prunus avium rootstock in 1987 and planted out in a trial block at the Summerland Research Centre in 1989. Evaluation on the selection began upon fruiting. The variety was selected based on maturity date, fruit size, firmness, field splits, fruit shape, skin and flesh colour, fertility, lustre, precocity and productivity.

Tests & Trials: Tests and trials for 'Sumele' were conducted by the okanagan Plant Improvement Co. Ltd. at the Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre, Summerland, British Columbia during 2000 and 2001. The trials consisted of five trees of each of the candidate and reference varieties, budded on Prunus avium rootstock. Measured characteristics were based on a minimum of 20 measurements.

Comparison tables for 'Sumele' with reference varieties 'Van', 'Summit', 'Sumnue' and 'Sumste'

Leaf length (mm)

Leaf width (mm)

Petiole length (mm)

Diameter of flower (mm)

Average fruit weight (g)

Length of fruit stalk (mm)